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Content warning: This article references domestic violence. Reader discretion is advised.
Earlier this year, 90 Day Fiancé fans were alarmed and concerned by news that Michael Illesanmi, a Nigerian native and husband of co-star Angela Deem, had been reported missing in the United States, shortly after his first arrival into the country. Michael went missing from February 23rd-26th, 2024 – something Angela announced to fans on social media just hours before he was found.
Illesanmi was found safe after contacting police, but refused contact with his American spouse, citing fear for his life. On their last on-screen appearance at the time, on the spin-off series 90 Day: The Last Resort, Michael and Angela seemed in good shape, with Angela agreeing to rip up their prospective divorce papers – so why did the Nigerian depart from his home?
What does Michael Illesanmi claim was the cause of his brief disappearance?
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Michael cited Angela’s outbursts of rage – which could escalate into physical violence – as evidence that their relationship was in a deeply toxic place prior to his arrival in the United States in December 2023.
“I thought when I got here things will be better for us,” he notes. “But I was wrong, you know? Things got worse when I got here.”
“[Angela’s behavior] is not OK. I mean, I’m this kind of person. I’m a very chill guy, probably because I’m a very cool guy, and I’m an easygoing person. She took that advantage, you know, to do what she did. I mean, if I was the one that did that to her it would have been a different scenario, you know?”
“It’s a lot for me to leave, for me to have left,” Michael continued. “Rather, it had gotten to the point [where] I couldn’t just bear it anymore.”
The Nigerian immigrant also cited Angela’s surveillance and control over him in the home as another form of abuse. “You know, even since I go to the States we didn’t have sex,” he adds. “We never had sex. I mean, she sleeps in the room. I sleep on the couch — that’s how we’ve been living. If anything happened in the house, I’ll be the first person to be caught, I mean, I can’t even be free in the house. [She’s] always monitoring me, checking checking my phone, and all that.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1.800.799.SAFE (7233), or text “START” to 88788 for safe, confidential support.